On Tuesday, the Riigikogu passed the Act on Amendments to the Republic of Estonia Principles of Ownership Reform Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (480 SE). The Act repeals the provisions on the basis of which a register of entitled subjects and property to be returned or compensated for had been established which has exhausted its purpose by today. The functions of the register which will be closed will be transferred to the competence of the Ministry of Finance. The Act enters into force on 1 January 2014. 58 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the passing of the Act, 21 members voted against and 2 members abstained.

Two Bills passed the second reading in the plenary assembly.

The Bill on Amendments to the Value Added Tax Act and the Accounting Act (493 SE), initiated by the Government, establishes the annex to the value added tax return. It will reflect the data of the invoices issued to and received from legal persons or sole proprietors or state, rural municipality or city authorities for goods and services with the 20 per cent and 9 per cent value added tax rate. This will be the case when the total amount of invoices exclusive of value added tax is at least 1000 euro per transaction partner in the taxable period. The threshold based on the transaction partner will be calculated separately for purchase invoices sales invoices. A taxable person with limited liability will not submit the appendix to the value added tax return. According to the agenda, the third reading of the Bill is scheduled for this Wednesday.

The Bill on Amendments to the Labour Market Services and Benefits Act, the Unemployment Insurance Act and the State Family Benefits Act (517 SE), initiated by the Social Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, also passed the second reading. The Bill eliminates the deficiency which has arisen with the entry into force of the Vocational Educational Institutions Act which deprives students in the full-time study of vocational training of the opportunity to register as unemployed. The Bill will restore the situation where the students in vocational training whose main activity is studying can be registered as unemployed in certain cases. The Bill also specifies the procedure for payment of family benefits in the case when a child graduates from school. According to the agenda, the third reading of the Bill is scheduled for this Thursday.

On the motion of the Rural Affairs Committee, the Riigikogu suspended the second reading of the Bill on Amendments to the Land Reform Act and Other Acts (516 SE), initiated by the Government. 12 December was set as the deadline for submission of motions to amend. The Bill submitted by the Government provided that the Minister of Regional Affairs will establish an information system of claims for instalment payments for land to ensure more effective performance of the duties of mortgagees and administrators of encumbering of state land. Contracts and claims concerning privatisation and encumbering of state land would be administered in the information system to be established. The Rural Affairs Committee decided to amend the text of the Bill.

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Public Service Act (512 SE), submitted by the Estonian Centre Party Faction (the result of voting: 51 votes in favour, 21 against), and the Bill on Amendments to the Restrictions on Acquisition of Immovables Act (502 SE), also submitted by the Estonian Centre Party Faction (the result of voting: 40 votes in favour and 32 against).

The Bill on Amendments to § 32 of the State Budget Act (547 SE), submitted by the Finance Committee of the Riigikogu, passed the first reading. It grants the Ministry of Finance the possibility to organise the payments related to funded pensions and securities made by the registrar of the Estonian Central Register of Securities to be settled through the State Treasury, if necessary. The new State Budget Bill (513 SE) which is in the legislative proceeding provides such an opportunity but the proceeding of the new Act may take time. The amendment will have to enter into force before 1 February 2014. This is the deadline by which the registrar of the Estonian Central Register of Securities is required to take its settlements out of Eesti Pank. The term for submission of motions to amend before the second reading of the Bill is 13 December.

The verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

The Riigikogu Press Service